JACOB Rees-Mogg yesterday released his picture of a Whitehall “ghost office” as he dug in over his campaign against working from home.
The minister had been left open-mouthed to find the Cabinet Office abandoned at 11am on what should have been a busy weekday.
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Desks and computers were unused and notices stuck on the walls dated from before Covid-19 struck in early 2020.
Mr Rees-Mogg, Minister for Government Efficiency, accused the absent workers of pouring money down the drain by letting their swanky offices stand empty.
He told The Sun: “It looked as if the office hadn’t been used in two years.
“Thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money is being spent, and either they need to be there or not. If not, we should put somebody in this property.”
Speaking on a visit to the Eurotunnel in Folkestone, Kent, yesterday as part of his Brexit Opportunities portfolio, he added: “I wrote on the whiteboard saying, ‘Can we reallocate this space because you clearly don’t need it?’”
Mr Rees-Mogg has been branded “creepy” for leaving notes on the office desks of employees still at home.
He also compiled a departmental league table to show what percentage of staff were back.
The Department for Education was bottom with 25 per cent, followed by the Department for Work and Pensions at 27 per cent.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has demanded his staff return for four days a week. Mr Rees-Mogg said civil service bosses must “lead by example” and get back to their departments.
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He added: “If you’re in, you know what problems there are.
“You don’t have to organise a Zoom call to find out.”
He warned the civil service had “grown too big” and said numbers must be cut.
